Ditching sequence in Tom Hanks' "Castaway"

[reverserdeployed]

Very scary. Despite my having spent a good portion of my adult life in the back of big aircraft or at the helm of little ones this film really does shake you up!

One minute old Tom is standing in the bathroom of the FedEx 'Bus riding out a night-time electrical storm, the next minute pandemonium all around, decompression, screaming engines, crew shouting "we're gonna have to ditch!" and the craft pointing down at the sea.

For me the gut wrenching bit was when they pop out of the cloud and all you can see is a huge angry wave right in front of the cockpit windshield. Boom! I had to close my eyes.

As my friend said when we left the cinema -"is that real?" - "I dunno," I said, "I hope not!"

[below_the_line_please]

In response to your question, "it is real" the answer is perhaps!

Sucessfully ditching a powerless or barely controllable aircraft at night in stormy seas is a near impossible task at best. The best that could be reasonably hoped for is that some of fuselage pieces stayed afloat long enough for at least a few survivors to escape.

In the day, with a calm sea and a controlled ditching, your chances are greatly improved. The cargo 707 that recently ditched by accident in Lake Victoria proved that. The crew had the 707 set up in a landing configuration, with the flaps and gear down and accidentally set down on the lake, believing it to be the runway.

There are some photos floating around of it in one piece in the lake. The crew were fine.

The Ethiopian 767 that was hijacked and flamed out would have probably stayed in one piece next to the beach had the hijackers not been attacking the pilots with a hammer as they were trying to get it down. In the circumstances that was an astounding piece of airmanship.

Also it has been argued that you have a greater chance of walking (swimming.?)away in an aircraft with a clean wing, ie 727, MD80 because there are no engines to dig in and cartwheel you in after the impact.

As a pilot, I sincerely hope I never have to try it.....


[This message has been edited by below_the_line_please (edited 15 January 2001).]

[Oz_Pilot]

For an aircraft with podded engines, normally they have some sort of attachment designed to let go of the engine if it really takes a hit... not that you'd want to try it, but I reckon the engines on (say) a 747 would soon detach once they encountered water, and that the sheer momentum of the fuselage and remaining clean wings would make a cartwheel very difficult.

[togaroo]

Modern podded engines are 'designed' on impact to shear off from the wing and fly over the wing upwards and rearwards with an impact with the ground - how this would occur with 20ft waves and large troughs between waves would be anyones guess but probably as mentioned - in one big mess.

A charter ferry pilot from Aus - Ray Clamback has ditched in a PA28 recently and lived to tell the tale - after some time in warm waters, however I dont think that it is an experience he would like to repeat.

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Its life Jim, but not as we know it!!

[reverserdeployed]

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif

[international hog driver]

A couple things to bring up here.
I have done a few of the above mentioned, ditched a fixed gear single after an engine failure and operated multi turbine seaplanes in the middle of the ocean.

The sea can do many things in a short period of time it is not the chop that is dangerous it is the swell, and the frequency of the swell.
Day time you can pick it no problem, and always parrallel it, always always, Take the cross wind, full opposite deflection and get your feet working because trying to go straight into it will bend the aeroplane, just go and ask any cessna rep about the fire wall mod available for the caravan and what floats mean to your warranty.

The question of night is different, you have to take into account many things and it can be done ie, sunderland and cat ops in WWII.
However in an emergency situation you a modern FMC in a transport category jet will have a wind direction and using that and the knowelege that wind and swell coexist, then then put the wind at 90 degrees and commit to an approach, Full flap to 20/30 ft RA, and then pull the nose up to slow in ground effect and stall in.
These would be the best options in an aircraft not designed for water ops the best option is absolute min speed at water entry.
Ask any seaplane pilot who has witnesses an anphibian land in the water with the gear down.
IHD

[Dave Incognito]

togaroo,

The regulators don't want the mentioned individual in the drink again either and are looking into the matter. That "warm water" looks like it might get a tad warmer.

[JD]

I remember the national 727 that "landed" in escambia ? bay . The pax thought it was a normal landing! Til ther feet started getting wet,[ night landing]

[BayAreaLondoner]

I just saw this film last night on video (yes I know, I'm in the Dark Ages).

Anyway, couple of other questions about the ditching sequence:

1. When the aircraft ditches, Hanks isn't strapped in (is he?). Wouldn't the force of the impact have slammed him against something and bent him? Also, the last image looking out of the cockpit seemed to indicate a severe nose down attitude, although admittedly with the swell it would be hard to judge.

2. When Hanks gets out of the aircraft, and we see the outside view, the engines seem to be running. Is this reasonable? I would have thought that the water immersion would have at least stopped them from running, even if they were still turning due to momentum (then again, I know nothing about jets). Then the engine "explodes". I know that fans are tested, compressor blades broken, etc. and I believe that containment has failed in flight on occasion, but is it plausible in the partially submerged scenario? Just curious.

[maxrevs]

Maybe "Wilson" knows.
Regards, Max.

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When I push the panic button, the breaker pops!

[BayAreaLondoner]

WIIIILLLLLLSSSSSOONNNNNN!!!!!!
Never again!
:)

[gaunty]

Whatever, it was real heart stopping stuff.

Trying to work out what the buzz saw noise was whilst he was swimming around then seeing the engine bearing down. Uuuuuulp http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif

For me it passed the ultimate entertainment test, "the suspension of disbelief". :)

[Prof2MDA]

Just pointing out that the aircraft was an MD-11, not a "'Bus", although the 'Bus was what was in front of where he got out of the car, that obviously wasn't what he got into and, of course, the Bus isn't quite capable of that sort of routing anyway. ;-)

[mstram]

"On the second approach he was much too far to the right
& almost took out the small terminal and control tower. Missed approach number two.

On the third approach (from over the lake with no visual reference) the control tower called him to say, "you are too low, pull up," to which the Captain replied, "don't worry, I know what I am doing."

About five kilometers short of the runway, he hit the water, tore off all four engines and the landing gear, but didn't puncture the fuselage. With battery power & the taxi light on, they were picked up by a fishing boat (no injuries).

http://www.avweb.com/articles/707swim/